DOUG OSMOND fielded questions about celebrities he knew after teaching students at Valley View Elementary about the importance of reading, working and not letting failures get them down.
Photos by Louise R. Shaw|Davis Clipper

BOUNTIFUL — Kids who know the name of Harry Potter’s owl or Michael Vey’s club are at a definite advantage in the game Doug Osmond plays at elementary schools.

They are also at an advantage if they read other books.

And that advantage was the message Osmond brought to Valley View Elementary in Bountiful at an assembly last week.

“Keep reading, man, it’s awesome,” said Osmond. He challenged students to be “Reading Rock Stars.”

Osmond is visiting elementary schools in part to introduce students to the Michael Vey series written by Richard Paul Evans, and in part to help kids learn that reading and education are extremely important tools in life.

The first rule for success he gave students was to “shut the TV off – and that includes video games.”

The average American family watches eight hours of television a day.

“That’s a full-time job. But the average millionaire watches eight hours of television a week,” he said, and the results are no coincidence.

His second piece of advice was to “read, read, read, read, read.”

“Readers are leaders,” he said. “Fill your minds with good things, with smart things.”

Student should not expect entitlements, he told the assembly.

Those that have cell phones, wear brand name clothing and go on vacations are lucky, but that does not make them better than anybody else, said Osmond.

“Work hard,” was the fourth rule Osmond gave for success. “Love to work because guess what – that’s what life is. Learn to love it.”

His fifth point was to encourage kids to believe in themselves and not let someone else’s opinion become their reality.

While there has been a lot of success in his life, Osmond said there has also been a lot of failure.

“If you fall flat on your face, what do you do?” asked Osmond. “Pick yourself up and do it again.”

He encouraged kids to learn from their failures.

“We live in the greatest country on the planet,” said Osmond. “You’re not guaranteed success in this country, but we do have the freedom to pursue our own goals. If you want it bad enough ... if you’re willing to not quit on yourself because it’s hard – then anything is possible.”